Famous Streets in Madrid

In a big city like Madrid, with more attractions than the regular-size holiday will ever allow enough time to visit, wandering around with no apparent purpose can be the best way to discover the city’s true face. However, even the most adventurous tourist, the kind that would never buy a travel guide and hates carrying a map, will need some minimal guiding lines. Knowing which are the most famous neighborhoods or areas in a city will certainly ease your job. Also, most European cities tend to have a compact center, which means that most attractions will be concentrated on just a few major streets. For this reason, some weeks ago we hosted an article about the most popular Madrid squares. Now it’s time to see which are the most famous streets in Madrid:

Gran Via

Allegedly the best known street in Madrid, Gran Via is represents the glamorous, modern side of the city. Designed and built in the early 20th century as a measure to easy traffic in central Madrid, Gran Via (Great Street or High Street) has turned into one of the busiest areas in the Capital. Today, the name of Gran Via is associated with luxury fashion labels, expensive hotels and restaurants and lots of historic buildings, mostly form the ’20s and ’30s.

Calle de Preciados

From wandering around Madrid’s most famous Puerta del Sol square to window shopping with frenzy there’s just one small step – by this, I mean your first step along Calle de Preciados. One of the several streets that depart from Madrid’s 0Km point in Puerta de Sol, Calle de Praciados is mostly associated with high street shopping. You’ll find an amazing concentration of shops here, together with a popular Madrid attraction: El Corte Ingles department store.

Calle Mayor

Calle Mayor represented for Medieval Madrid what Gran Via is in the present. A beautiful historic street, Calle Mayor is home to numerous patrimony buildings, such as palaces, churches and private villas. Here you will find the memorial house of Calderon de la Barca, a Spanish writer from the 17th century.

Passeo del Prado

One could spend an entire day just strolling up and down this beautiful boulevard in central Madrid. Lined with tall, shady trees, the boulevard offers the perfect escape in the hot Madrid summer days. It is also home to an impressive number of Madrid landmarks, starting with Prado Museum and continuing with Reina Sofia Museum, the Royal Spanish Academy and the Royal Botanical Gardens.